The world of performing arts turned upside down in the year 1953 when Rukmini Devi Arundale, inspired by the ballets of the Bolshoi theatre, decided to transform Valmiki’s mythological epic into a six-part dance drama. Teachers and students assembled under the great banyan tree in Kalakshetra were stunned. Who would set thousands of words to music? How would it be choreographed with such minimal stage facilities? And where were the male dancers to take on the roles?
Their chief was unfazed. With characteristic elan she said it would all happen.
“As providence would have it, Balagopal and I walked into the campus holding the hand of Guru Chandu Panikkar,” says Dhananjayan, one of the earliest male dancers in that epic production. She was ecstatic.
“Here come my Rama and Lakshmana with Viswamitra!” she announced.
Dhananjayan adds: “We were two village lads who just fitted into her vision.” The second miracle happened on Vijayadasami Day. During morning puja, Valmiki’s immortal lines “Tapaswadhyaya Niratham” could be heard. The singer was a 90-year- old vaggeyakara who had agreed to compose the music for the Ramayanam. It was a meeting of two rich minds. The final triumph of Rukmini Devi’s career. For Mysore Vasudevacharya, the ultimate reward of a life-time’s devotion to Rama. During the next seven years, he dedicated every waking moment to this task, starting with Sita Swayamvaram and working his way through Rama Vanagamanam, Paduka Pattabhishekam and Sabari Moksham. At the same time, he trained his grandson, Rajaram, who recalled how the great teacher stepped into the different roles he depicted to feel the range of emotions which would finally dictate the ragas.
“It was an extraordinary composition “with thatha worshipping the protagonist Rama every day before he sat down to write”.
But Vasudevacharya did not live to complete his work. In the middle of the fourth episode, he died, leaving the unfinished task to Rajaram, who composed the rest with his own touch of genius, completing the epic in 1969.
“It took 14 years to bring my Rama back to Ayodhya!” sighed Rukmini Devi.
Using minimal stage props, she relied on the dancers and musicians to make this epic come alive. She wanted their talent to dominate instead of artificial devices. Through sangeetham and sahithyam alone, the characters emerged. We see Kaikeyi change from a coy wife into a ruthless queen. Dasaratha, from a commanding king to a pitiable petitioner. The ragas, chosen appropriately, enhance the mood. Who can help brushing away a tear when Rama weeps over Sita’s jewellery in “Pasya Lakshmano Vaidehya” in Sindhubhairavi ? Or, not be moved by Sita’s innocence when she introduces herself to Ravana as Janaka’s daughter in such evocative Kaapi ? The only technology we see is the clever use of a cyclorama to dramatize scenes like Lanka Dahanam or the Agni Pravesham. The aim was not to exhibit stagecraft but to make the story come alive. The “Ramayanam” is meant to elevate, not entertain. Its choreography is suggestive rather than explicit. Scenes like Guha ferrying Rama and Sita across the river, or Hanuman lifting the mountain with the life-giving Sanjeevini are done with stunning realism through unusual adavus and appropriate music. Episodes like the elusive hunt for the golden deer or building the sethu bandhanam are accomplished with great artistry. Sensuous bharathanatyam movements juxtaposed with vigorous kathakali leaps to show Surpanaka convert from a forest nymph to a deadly goblin. Or, Ravana from a sanyasi to a rakshasa. With subtle changes in light and sound, we are transported from a palace to a forest to a seashore. With a mere pointing of hands, the monkey brigade led by Hanuman, transports us to Lanka where we see Ravana step forth for the last battle scene. In the end, it is the music that surpasses all in this spectacular production which has mesmerised audiences worldwide through its rich tapestry of sound and visuals. K. Balagopalan, the legendary Hanuman recalls how “Athai” combined Bharathanatyam with the more vigorous Kathakali mudras to portray different emotions like the “shantham” of Rama compared to “veeram” of Lakshmana. Or, characters like a trusting Sita or a cruel Ravana. “My life and personality changed after I did Anjaneya in Choodaani Pradhanam” he says. “It was a feeling out of this world , which cannot be defined. I started loving this art. I no longer wanted solo performances. Positive things also happened in my life. I still owe everything to Anjeneya and Athai who was a scholar, a musician, a legend.”
Shantha and Dhananjayan were the central figures in the Ramayanam for many years. According to them,“Our greatest joy was learning the lyrics and their meaning. What a mesmerising experience that was! As the epic progressed , things happened as if divinely ordained. The Ramayanam made us what we are today…..”
P.T. Narendran took over the role of Rama in 1983 and threw himself into the role of the Maryada Purusha to perfection that the audience would touch his feet! He too calls it “the greatest learning experience” of his life which taught him how to become the character he performed until “my personality changed completely.” Athai’s presence “had the power of a 1000 spectators,” that he once danced his way into the ocean instead of the sethu bandhanam !
If Vasudevacharya worked a miracle with his musical compositions, it is now left to talented singers like Sai Sankar and Hariprasad to keep them alive. Trained by Balamuralikrishna and Rajaram, Hariprasad joined the ballet in 1988. According to him, performing for a dance, where you need to switch ragas seamlessly, can be a great learning experience. “Athai’s choreography combined with this kind of music has often taken me into a spiritual plane while singing” he says. The synchronized singing of these two musicians makes this ballet a profound experience. Theirs is the invisible presence that remains with you long after the curtain comes down.
Kalakshetra will be presenting the RAMAYANAM in the Iskcon Temple auditorium , Bengaluru from September 25 to 30.
